High pressure presses have been used for decades in the manufacture of synthetic diamond. Such presses are capable of exerting a high pressure and high temperature on a volume of carbonaceous material to create conditions for sintering polycrystalline diamond. Known designs for high pressure presses include, but are not limited to, the belt press, the tetrahedral press, and the cubic press.
FIG. 1 shows a design for a conventional cubic press 10 known in the art. The design generally includes six press bases 12, with each press base 12 facing towards a common central point 14. The press bases 12 may include a body that exhibits a generally conical shape, with an outer surface 16 and an inner surface 18. The inner surface 18 houses a piston 20, which is capable of being displaced towards the central point 14. Tie bars 28 may extend between and be coupled to individual press bases 12 to form a structural framework that supports the press bases 12 during operation of the press 10.
FIG. 2 shows a close-up view of various components surrounding the central point 14 of the cubic press 10. Guide pins 22 help to keep the pistons 20 aligned as they move in and out of the press bases 12. An anvil 24 is coupled to each of pistons 20 and may include an engagement surface 26 aligned perpendicularly to the axis of motion of the piston 20. The engagement surfaces 26 of the anvils 24 collectively converge upon a defined cube-shaped volume disposed about the central point 14. This volume may be occupied with a cube-shaped reaction cell containing materials that are to be converted to synthetic diamond. During operation of the press 10, the square anvil surfaces 26 apply pressure and heat to the reaction cell to create the necessary conditions within the reaction cell for forming synthetic diamond. An example of the process that takes place in forming synthetic diamond under HTHP conditions is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,623 to Wentorf, Jr. et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. Examples of some cubic presses and related components used in HTHP processes may be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/916,018 filed on Oct. 29, 2010, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/916,064 filed on Oct. 29, 2010, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/916,097 filed on Oct. 29, 2010 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/916,130 filed on Oct. 29, 2010, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
In the operation of conventional presses, the reaction cell is conventionally placed on an anvil 24 (i.e., on the lowermost anvil of the press) by an operator of the press. Typically, to ensure correct positioning of the reaction cell, the operator uses a spacer or a template structure configured to help place the reaction cell at a specified position on the supporting anvil and in a predetermined orientation with respect to one or more of the anvils 24. Positioning of the reaction cell by hand, even when using precision templates or spacers, often results in inconsistencies in the placement of the reaction cell relative to each of the anvils 24. For example, the pistons may have variation in their positioning when they return to a “rest” state from one cycle to another, thereby making the method of using a template inaccurate. Additionally, human error inevitably impacts the placement of a reaction cell regardless of how careful an operator is.
Improper placement of the reaction cell can affect the operations of the press and, importantly, affect the quality of the synthetic diamond material being produced. Furthermore, in order to properly position the reaction cell, an operator has to position their body between adjacent press bases and reach in towards the anvils. This can be difficult from an ergonomic standpoint and can also be a safety hazard in certain situations. Additionally, hand placement and alignment of the reaction cell is not a particularly fast process and may be a limiting factor in the production efficiency of synthetic diamond or other superabrasive compacts.
It is a desire within the industry to continually improve the process of fabricating synthetic diamond and other superabrasive compacts, including providing methods, components and systems that, among other things, may help to improve the safe conditions of workers, improve the consistent quality of the work product, and improve the efficiency of the manufacturing process.